Murphy, Sheila E.: Escritoire

Lavender Ink / Diálogos, paperback

Publication Date: June 16, 2025

Publisher Marketing: Reading Escritoire is like hearing intimate, philosophical music that sings from the heart and mind, always intensely noticing the inner and outer worlds. These poems show a deftness and originality with forms and free verse ranging in topic from the quotidian to the cerebral. It is as though she's always on high alert to hear and capture language that transcends itself and colors experience. Humor reigns supreme as she hears her titles ("Moderator from Modesto"; "Kissed by Key Lime Pie Charts"; "Stilton at the Hilton"). There is a consistently optimistic strain that runs through the work of Sheila E. Murphy. She's amazed in her gratitude, delicately sending and rendering subtleties of loving interchange among people while recognizing political and social hurdles. There is no one standard issue Sheila Murphy poem. The range and variety are astonishing. Sometimes taut, sometimes sprawling, always focused and discovering. On the spectrum ranging from expectation to surprise, Murphy decidedly leans toward surprise.